Chapter 36: History
byChapter 36: History
Essence blinked his enchanting pink eyes, playfully throwing a flirtatious glance at Wen Ying, "If it were you, I might have fallen for you."
Wen Ying turned his head back, hearing Essence's regretful sigh behind him. True to his nature as a succubus, even his sighs were captivating.
Beros glanced over occasionally with the corner of his eye, pleased to see Wen Ying's indifferent attitude towards the succubus. After all, the demon had entwined their tails together, and although Beros hadn't agreed, Wen Ying wouldn't casually switch to another demon anytime soon.
Beros was confident in himself; he simply disliked discussing romantic matters, not that he was ignorant. He knew that his type was highly sought after in the dating scene.
He'd rather spend the time usually devoted to romance on honing his skills to become a powerful demon sooner.
The morning classes mainly focused on potions. They studied the basics of magical plants and their effects in 'Fundamentals of Magical Botany', how to gather and preserve various potions in 'Harvesting Science', and 'Basic Potion Recipes'. The fourth class was on Demon Realm ancient history. After the geography lesson, Wen Ying found the ancient history somewhat tolerable.
The last time they studied ancient history, it had been so dull that he almost fell asleep. This time, however, the content of the Demon Realm's ancient history kept him engaged and prevented any drowsiness.
In ancient times, there were no barriers between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm, allowing free interaction between the two. Demons were far stronger than humans, who they saw as mere livestock. Eventually, exorcists began to emerge within human society.
According to research by scholars from both realms, exorcists originated from a religion. They claimed to be messengers of gods, sent to save humanity. Later investigations revealed that the religion was a fraudulent organization, but the "divine stones" within it were indeed genuine.
The Pure White Divine Stone was a natural energy crystal, mostly shaped like a heart with intricate feathers etched onto its surface, resembling an angel folding its wings in front of its body.
The higher-grade divine stones had their wings closed to a lesser extent, revealing the "angel's face" behind them.
Individuals with unique constitutions could awaken their innate abilities upon contact with these divine stones. They possessed magic as well and could wield spells, although this power often lay dormant within them until the divine stone activated their latent magical energies.
Exorcists began to unite and resist demonic rule in an organized manner. As more divine stones were discovered across various regions, the exorcists grew stronger. Eventually, two major organizations emerged: the Exorcist Association and the Order of the Great Angel.
The demon teacher didn't delve into the specifics of how humans overthrew demonic rule, only providing a general overview of significant events on the timeline. The narrative concluded with humanity's successful rebellion, driving the demons out of the human realm. A complex and special barrier was then established between the human and demon worlds, marking the beginning of modern demon history.
Not dwelling on the aftermath, the demon teacher started to focus on the details of a particular significant event and the renowned historical demons. Most demons were familiar with these histories and legends, but many lacked a systematic understanding, having only superficial knowledge. Now, under the guidance of the demon king, they were studying history books specifically compiled for them and being taught by a highly respected elder demon, reflecting the great importance placed on their "cultural education."
The elder demon indeed commanded respect, and his soothing voice had a hypnotic effect. After highlighting the key points, Wen Ying found himself dozing off again. This elderly demon teacher's lectures were even more soporific than math classes.
Perhaps his brain remained active enough to prevent him from falling asleep, pondering why most humans were oblivious to the existence of demons or exorcists. It was as if someone had deliberately erased that chapter of tears and blood from human history, erasing demons from human awareness.
But why? Wen Ying was baffled. Gazing at the elder demon on stage, who had only discussed ancient demon history so far, he wondered if the answer might lie in the book "Modern Demon History." Unfortunately, they weren't covering that topic today, and the book was at home.
Wen Ying was so curious that he couldn't sit still. After enduring for a while, he finally couldn't resist and asked the exhausted-looking Evil Bird beside him.
"I have a question."
"Hmm?" Muershi wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes with one hand. "What do you want to know?"
Wen Ying leaned closer and whispered, "Do you know why many humans nowadays are unaware of our existence as demons?"
Muershi blinked, then turned his head, slowly saying, "I have several versions of history. Which one would you like to hear?"
"...The most reliable one."
Muershi was very sleepy, and his brain was functioning slowly. Upon hearing Wen Ying's response, his gaze became hazy, and after a long moment, he said, "The most reliable version... That would be the work of the Exorcists themselves. They've sealed all information about us."
"Why?" Wen Ying grew even more curious and couldn't help leaning even closer, almost eager to strangle Muershi to make him spill everything.
Beros caught a glimpse of Wen Ying’s face almost touching the Evil Bird’s, and his expression involuntarily turned displeased. It was unclear what had upset him, but he found it irritating.
"It seems to be related to the Exorcists' divine stone. Back then, the connection between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm was the most severed, so I'm not entirely sure why."
Muershi answered the question but seemed not to have answered it at all, leaving Wen Ying vexed, with an itch in his heart that he couldn't scratch.
After class, Wen Ying approached the old demonic teacher again. The teacher pulled him aside for an analysis, but they ultimately reached no conclusion. It was still Muershi's suggestion that the matter likely involved the divine stone.
Listening to the teacher was like listening to the teacher—no new insights were gained.
With a downcast mood, Wen Ying had lunch and returned to his dormitory to examine the white egg he had found. Gazing at the egg, he finally managed to put aside his frustration over the sealed demonic information.
The white egg appeared unproblematic. Not knowing how to care for a magical beast egg or tend to a newborn magical beast, Wen Ying decided to bring the egg back home after school that night for Aruda to take a look.
...
That evening, upon returning home, Wen Ying told Aruda about his sleepover at school the previous night. He sheepishly admitted that he was afraid of pain and thus found the intense demonic training unbearable.
”It’ll get better with time. A few days ago, I thought I’d bought everything you needed, but I forgot to get you a phone. I’m really getting old,” Aruda ruffled Wen Ying’s hair and then looked at the white egg in his hand. “Where did this magical beast egg come from?”
"I found it in the bushes on campus," Wen Ying couldn't help but smile happily. "Great-Grandma, I want to raise it."
”A white magical beast egg requires careful nurturing,” Aruda pushed up her golden monocle and bent down for a closer look at the egg. “The patterns resemble those of a Snow Velvet’s egg.”
It sounded like an adorable magical beast. Wen Ying didn't have the obsession to raise a powerful and majestic magical beast. Instead, he was more looking forward to seeing this cute one hatch.
Aruda said, "I'll prepare some nutrient solution for it. You just need to apply it regularly. Come on, I'll take you to buy a phone now, and we can pick up that custom-made spatial bracelet."
On the same street, Wen Ying bought a phone. The appearance of the demonic realm's phone was similar to that of the human world, but it didn't require any fees. It only needed the user to infuse it with their own magic power. After paying for the phone, all calls and text messages were free for life!
It could also access the internet. Wen Ying explored several demonic realm forums and websites like a country bumpkin. In the demonic realm, there were no additional costs for browsing the internet. One only had to link their own magic power to the local magic network.
It was amazing and quite considerate.
After getting the spatial bracelet, Wen Ying played with the spatial convergence for two hours at home, still finding it fascinating. He kept putting things in and taking them out of the spatial convergence, consuming a considerable amount of his magic power before finally lying down on his bed, excitedly falling asleep.
With the spatial bracelet, he no longer needed to keep the magic cards he created in his pocket, causing it to bulge. He could put them in this few cubic meter space instead. However, there was a downside. Cards placed within this space couldn't be activated with his consciousness. They had to be taken out to trigger the magic remotely.
The next morning, as he browsed through various news and information on the demonic realm's phone with curiosity, he saw a post marked [Hot] on a forum webpage called "Demonic Realm Omniscience". The title was: "Are there also very powerful Devil Mirrors?"
Wen Ying clicked in and saw the devil in the main post describing how he had been defeated by a Devil Mirror. Below were a bunch of ridicules. Wen Ying raised an eyebrow. This devil who posted was clearly the one he had knocked off the arena that day.
Wen Ying exited and looked at other posts. As he browsed, he realized that the demonic realm's internet was truly wild, without any censorship. There were all sorts of bold comments that would've been swiftly deleted by moderators in the human world. It made Wen Ying's face flush and heart race. There were even pictures, some of which were very seductive.
Wen Ying swiftly scrolled through the feed, but his thumb paused on one image, slowly dragging it back up to focus on the picture – Beros enjoying a hot spring.
The backdrop was peculiar. Wen Ying felt that the surroundings resembled a volcano, with red rocks and what appeared to be lava flowing not far away. The hot spring was steaming intensely, and Beros, bare-chested, leaned against its edge with his arms wide open, eyes closed, looking relaxed.
Without clothing to conceal him, Beros's muscles were even more prominent. Their contours were visible without tensing, well-developed yet not bulky. The lines of his muscles were appealing, not overly muscular, but rather, they flowed like the bodies found in comic books.
His abdominal muscles were distinct, while the lower half of his body was submerged in the water, sparking imagination. His profile, veiled in the misty vapor, was enchantingly captivating. His high nose bridge, lovely lips, and the perfect line from his jaw to his collarbone showcased the perfection of his tall frame. The muscles attached to this skeleton were sculpted beautifully.
The golden earrings in Beros's ears and the black collar around his neck remained untouched. Staring at the earring for a moment, then the collar, Wen Ying gave himself a sharp slap to regain clarity – for Beros's sharp, black claws in the photo couldn't be overlooked.
This was a fierce and wild hellhound, not a gentle golden retriever.
Yet, he was undeniably seductive. Wen Ying lay back on the bed, despairingly covering his eyes with his hand. When had he been infected by a succubus, his thoughts now filled with unhealthy fantasies?
No, this was too intoxicating.
Wen Ying began seriously considering his chances of pursuing Beros. To estimate the probability, he picked up his phone and scrolled through more information about Beros. Then, with a sense of tranquility, he put down his phone and went to wash his face and brush his teeth.
According to the tales on the forums from those demons, Beros is an emotional insulator. He has remained single so far because he claims it's better to devote that time to self-improvement rather than indulging in sentimental affairs.
A straight man among straight men, an ace in masculinity.
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